St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-03
FOR A DEAD PASTOR.
An Eloquent Discourse by
DR.. Parker in Memory Of
Henry Ward Beecher.
He breaches From the Pulpit
Which Beecher Filled for
Forty Years.
His Text, "Not Here, But
RiSen"---SubStance of
His Sermon.
The Miracles, CommonpIaces
and Absurdities of Life
Dilated Upon.

New YORK, Oct. 2.-The Rev. DIR.
Joseph Parker, of City Temple, London,
who is to pronounce the eulogy on
Henry Ward Beecher in the Brooklyn
Academy of Music Monday night.
preached to-day in Plymouth church,
Brooklyn,in the pulpit where his friend
had stood for forty years. His subject
was, "Not Here, but Risen." The SER
mon. which was delivered without man
uscript, was largely memorial dis
course. The sermon was in substance
as follows: "We have not assembled
under ordinary conditions. For nearly
forty years this particular Sunday, the
first in October, has been signaliZed by
the temperance of an honored and il
luStriouS pastor. In sense full of
mournful suggestiveness he is not
here We feel indeed that he is no
here. without any words being spoken
to remind us of the fact. We know it
by the GOODNESS, the loneliness and the
sense of desolation which is
upon us all. In discoursing
upon the mortality of man the
preacher is apt to be regarded as speak
ing only that which is the veriest COM
monplace. To declare that man is
mortal, that death has taken him out of
our sight, that we must all die, is to be
condemned at once as speaking truisms,
trite and comparatively worthless.
There are some men who have genius
for the degradation of all life to the
level of commonplace. They can soon
run through all the
MIRACLES OF LIFE.
Are there not some men who could
walk through the loveliest landscape
and see nothing in it, or who might see
somewhat of beauty in it during the
first pilgrimage, but afterwards every
thing would be common, familiar and
diSregarded. What is true of land
scape is true of art. A hurried pointing
of the finger to some masterpiece and
the whole miracle is gone forever.
What is true of the landscape and
of art is true also of what we are accus-
toned to regard as the miracles of holy
Scripture. They soon ceasepto be mira
cles to those who look upon everything
with an eye which does not see the true
unity and meaning of the universe.
Having seen one miracle we want to
see another, and having seen two we
think we have seen all; and, unless
miracles come upon US in showers, and
thus cease to be miracles, our surprise
lies unawakened. Beyond this there
lies the possibility of oatrunning even
what is known as the inspiration of the
Bible itself. To many men the Bible
has become book of commonplaces or
book of absurdities. The angel. in
the text, is speaking of Jesus CHI ist,
and in declaring that he was not in the
grave he declared the sublime doctrine
OF the resurrection of the dead. Mega
ton, even in its hugest denials, is only
a gigantic cipher, an
INFINITE EMPTINESS.
This text begins negatively, but ends
positively, ends indeed in tone of
triumph. He is risen, and therefore is
more here than ever-here in fuller per-
sonality, in richer influence, in tenderer
sympathy. That which was local, lin
tied, physical. disproportionate or bur
densome is not here, is forever gone
away, and the immortal quality, the ra-
diant saintlineSs, the loyal spirituality,
are all alive forevermore. TO be here
in any bodily and real sense is greater
wonder than to have risen into some
higher and brighter sphere. To be here
indeed is even more. painful burden.
1t is felt to be so heavy that men cry
out, Whence came we? What are we?
Whittier go we? What is this burning.
awful, fevered life, SO full of ghostli-
ness, so material, yet so spiritual, so alb
ject, yet so augusta" We know some
what of the difficulties of incarnation at
many points of life. For example, we know
how perilous it often is to be admitted
to familiar intercourse with some men
who have swayed us by their thoughts
or thrown upon our whole life the spell
of their genius. So long as they stand
far Off, clothed with their spiritual
house and working with their spiritual
functions. we give them homage; but
when they come near US we may be dis
appointed or surprised or annoyed,
through some personal infrmity, some
conceit of manner, some
ECCENTRICITY OF HABIT.
and we may come to regret the day that
ever we saw in the flesh the men who,
by their genius, enchanted and blessed
our lives. So dangerous is incarnation,
the spiritual ways suffer through the
flesh. Here and now they can never be
united so as to cease all contro-
verSy and live life of mutual under
standing and appreciation. Incarna-
tlon in every form and sense of the
term is an abiding difficulty. 1t is so,
for example, in the matter of the ex-
preston of thought. Speaking of Jesus
Christ, the angel said: HE is risen."
That is really all we want to know. If
we carry that word up to it's highest
significance it will suffice at once the
reason and the Imagination. 1t is the
best word that can be chosen. 1t points
toward definite direction, but it makes
no attempt to localiZe and define. Who
can measure and state in plain figures
the significance of this word 'riSen?''
The Bible is wonderful in it's choice of
terms in describing the indescribable
On the basis of these reflections we are
entitled to establish two or three prac-
tical suggestions. For example, the
only influence worthy of cultivation and
enjoyment is spiritual. That alone
abides forever. We forget duty; we
cease to remember the exact amount of
wealth; pleasure itself is
VANISHED CLOUD:
but thought, the mental energy that af-
fected our intellectual life, the moral
ministries that nourish and inspire the
SOul-theSe are remembered with a
clearer memory and they seem to be
magnified day by day by larger reSol-
lection. No man knows what he is he
ally doing. We sit down in disappoint-
ment, and say: ."The end has come {;
death is stronger than life," while at
the very moment God is working out
some great miracle of love. We say of
such and such a life, it ended cloudily,
itnever came to perfection. it failed al
most at the last moment. We thus talk
unwisely. Men shall come from the
East and from the West. from the North
and from the South, and shall testify
that the life which we though was